ILNA reports that in a visit with the management and staff of the Special Diseases Foundation, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani said: "How can Westerners claim they observe human rights when they put vital drugs for patients on their list of merciless sanctions?"

Previously, Iran had announced that European countries are refusing to sell Iran radioactive pharmaceuticals that are mainly used to diagnose and treat cancer.

Radioactive pharmaceuticals are injected or administered to patients and used in various scans as well as treatments.

Doctor Iraj Najafi, a senior medical staff member at Doctor Shariati Hospital in Tehran, said: "Sanctions on Iran's Central Bank have made the import of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and food problematic."

Iran is now under a series of sanctions imposed by the United Nations. In addition, in the past year, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed several unilateral sanctions on Iran, which they claim are aimed at making Iran meet its international commitments around its nuclear activities.

Iran maintains, however, that its nuclear program is peaceful and, despite the sanctions, it will not stop its nuclear activities.